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Who will step up in Teague's absence?



A sprained MCL suffered on December 27 against the Denver Nuggets will cause Minnesota’s point guard, Jeff Teague, to miss the next 2-to-4 weeks.

Tyus Jones will be taking over the starting minutes, and Jamal Crawford will handle the point guard duties off the bench going forward for the Timberwolves.

Teague has been a great floor general this season for Minnesota, as through 31 games he has averaged a career-high in minutes played (34.2), 13.4 points per game, an NBA 6th-best 7.3 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. It will be a challenge for the team going forward to continue their success without their veteran point guard. A few things could come into play with Teague out, however.

TYUS TIME
The moment has come for the 2015 draft pick in Tyus Jones to step up and show what he has in starter minutes. Jones has shown some flashy improvements this season as the back-up and has earned valuable minutes from stingy Tom Thibodeau. Through 36 games, Jones has shot a career-best 46.9 percent from the floor, another career-best in three-point shooting (40 percent) and has always looked the part to run an efficient offense. This could be a tall task for someone like Jones, but he is the best option the Timberwolves have at this current time. The Apple Valley-native has responded to situations when his number is called well for the most part, but this will be a big jump from the previous challenges. In his first game as the starter Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, Jones had 6 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds. He will not be the kind of guy to be the leading scorer in a game, but as previously stated he knows the offense and can distribute the ball well.

JAMAL CAN BALL
The Timberwolves will have Jamal Crawford play some minutes at the point guard position as well, giving the team an added boost from a veteran running the offense. Crawford this season has been hit or miss, averaging 10 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting from the field, and a career-best from the free-throw line (95 percent). Crawford is better known as a shooting guard for his scoring abilities, but he was drafted as a point guard and is able to do so.

Some other players that should get their moments to shine include Aaron Brooks, who has hardly seen any time this season. Brooks is another veteran that could patch this team until Teague is ready to return, but his performance on the court is limited. A free agent signing could also be a possibility or even a trade, but it is truly doubtful Minnesota would go in that direction rather than staying in-house. 
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